Regular readers will know that I was invited back to judge this year’s Battle Of The Bands competition at the Fulford Arms in York. It is a fabulous honour to be chosen to judge such a great contest! As I am on the judging panel, I do not think it is fair to review the shows. But I thought you might like a few updates, this is the third one and covers the final two of the six heats.
Heats 5 and 6 took place on Wednesday, 20th September, and Thursday, 21st September. The lineup for Heat 5 was Red Recluse, Manic Calm, Ømmis, and 5 Or 7. It was yet another close contest, and Manic Calm, along with Ømmis will be in the semi-finals! Heat 6 had another great lineup with Trent and the Crickets, Hunter Gatherer, Gents and Ginger, and I Tell Lies. The two acts going through to the semi-final from Heat 6 are I Tell Lies and Hunter Gatherer. Gents and Ginger initially made the cut but were unable to make any of the dates. Get yourself to the Fulford Arms on Friday, 29th September for the first of the three semi-finals! The other two semi-finals are on Saturday, 30th September, and Friday, 6th October. Check out the semi-final lineups below.
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Regular readers know that I was invited back to judge this year’s Battle Of The Bands competition at the Fulford Arms in York. Obviously, as I am on the judging panel, I do not think it is fair to review the shows. But I thought you might like a few updates, and this is the second one.
Heats 3 and 4 took place on Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th September. The lineup for Heat 3 was Frantics, HÆrtstrings, Chased By Machines, and Uncultured. It was a very close contest, and HÆrtstrings and Frantics will be in the semi-finals! Heat 4 had another great lineup with Belle Velvet, Offbeat, Robo, and Darted. The two winners of Heat 4 were Belle Velvet and Offbeat. Get yourself to the Fulford Arms on Wednesday 20th September and Thursday 21st September for Heat 5 and 6!
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This gig looked like another wonderfully fun-packed Northern Radar night with some great music and musicians. Was it that kind of night? Read on to find out. First on stage was Jonny Cole with a set full of covers, but not just the usual covers suspects. He bravely chose some relatively obscure and quite difficult songs for the early part of his set. Later there were some great audience singalongs with “Stuck In The Middle With You” and “Proud Mary”. Jonny brought his old guitar teacher on stage for a couple of songs, including a rollicking take on Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B Goode”.
Next up it was the turn of the enigmatically named Moongate. There is no mystery, she saw the name on a house on her regular route to the recording studio. Most of her songs are relatively sad laments. Including the song about not being able to sleep, which while being sad was a great lullaby-style ballad and probably my favourite track from Moongate’s set. Her cover of Richard Hawley’s “Don’t Stare At The Sun” was fabulous. She was also joined by a full band for her last two songs, well not the actual band, but the music was on her Apple Mac. Those songs were great. The first one, “Midnight Air” was a moderately happy tune too.
Next, it was the turn of Lewis Ross Robson who struck me, via his style and manner as a kind of alt.folk Noel Gallagher. He has a collection of relatively downbeat tunes, but his lyrics are intricate and weave some great tales. I loved his voice. It has the feeling of someone who has really lived through the stories in his songs. In a couple of songs, I sensed the guitar stylings of Paul Simon in some of his sparser more stripped-back tracks.
Finally, it was time for the main attraction, all the way from Perth, Western Australia, Jordy Maxwell. He is a true raconteur and troubadour with some great tunes and wonderful stories to go with them. Some hilarious and some deeply poignant. One tale was about a huge Aussie bloke wearing sunglasses at night approaching Jordy some years ago after hearing the sublime song “See You Again” and telling Jordy that he was “cutting onions mate“. Apparently, it took Mr. Maxwell a few hours to figure out that the bloke had been crying. Having heard the song, I can understand why, it works on a deep emotional level. Jordy‘s great at self-deprecation, but without taking it too far. At one point he forgot some of the lyrics to “This Old Place” but seemed to get back on track by the medium of telling us more tales, sometimes using what he called his “weird chord”. When he was speaking about his Nan, I suspect there were only a few dry eyes left in the house. He played a little bit of John Denver’s “Take Me Home Country Roads”, one that Jonny Cole had played earlier.
At the start of his set, Jordy spilled his pint of Beavertown Neck Oil and within minutes five people had bought him a pint which were all lined up on stage with him, I don’t know if he eventually downed them all. But the fact that so many people responded to his lack of beer plight says how much of a great human being Jordy Maxwell is. This really was another wonderfully fun-packed Northern Radar night with some great music and musicians. It had the relaxed feel of a classy and chilled open mic night. Thanks to Simon P of Northern Radar for putting this on and to Lizzie, who “discovered” Jordy and persuaded Simon to bring him to York for a gig. This proves that behind every great man, there is always an even greater woman!
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Everything After Midnight is a band that has grown in strength and confidence since forming four years ago. This gig was a showcase for the launch of their new single “I Guess,” and promoted by the talented Mr. P at Northern Radar. How did Everything After Midnight perform? You will need to read on to find out as there were two great support bands, neither of which I had seen before. Starting with PH7, they kicked off like the 60s Fleetwood Mac but with more of a Heather Baron-Gracie (Pale Waves) vocal sound. It would not be easy to put PH7 into a specific genre and they have some great tunes. “Botheration” was ace. Their cover of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” really kicked arse and rocked harder than Chris Martin and the lads have ever done. The PH7 guitarist was stunningly good, but sadly he is leaving the band. If you get a chance to see PH7 live, take it!
Next, it was the wonderfully named Mollie Coddled. If you can imagine Cydi Lauper fronting a jazz-funk/post-punk hybrid then you might come close to how Mollie Coddled sounded to me. The bass sound and playing was immense and skillful. Sadly, just like the PH7 guitarist the Mollie Coddled bass player is leaving, this was his final gig. “Guilt Trip” gave me some Hooray For The Riff Raff and Bran Van 3000 vibes. Meanwhile, “Lonely Bitch” was like a 60s girl group and punk crossover, like classic early Blondie.
Finally, it was time for the future legends known as Everything After Midnight. They took to the stage while the jaunty and jolly theme from The Simpsons was playing. That really had to be their walk-on music didn’t it, given the gig poster. The big question was whether Lisa Simpson might play some saxophone for them, sadly she didn’t, but maybe next time. This was a really imaginative set that bordered on epic in both style and content. The band was in top form and showed super-powered control and command of the depth and dynamics of their sound. Everything After Midnight have continued to develop a real melting pot of musical styles and influences with which they create that distinctive and idiosyncratic Everything After Midnight soundscape. They have matured relatively quickly for a band, and remain hard, or more likely, impossible to drop easily into a specific genre box. There is alt.folk, electric folk, prog, post-punk, classic rock, and even some melodies that would not be out of place in a classical music score.
Jacob’s guitar playing moves from Mick Ronson to Johnny Marr and most things in between. Then there are Steph’s soaring, confident vocals, she has grown hugely as a singer since I first saw the band back in February 2022. In this set, I felt that she had the sweetness and clarity of Sandy Denny’s voice and in the heavier moments more like Kiki Dee on steroids or Lulu fronting a metal band. The highlights were plentiful and bounteous, but among that crop of great songs “Real Estate” and new single “I Guess,” stood out for me. Check this band out NOW, that is an order!
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This would be only the third time that I had seen the magnificent and mighty This House Is Haunted. The last time was back in 2021 at this very venue, the fabulous Fulford Arms. So what was This House Is Haunted like? Read on and you’ll find out, first I need to tell you about the two rather delightful support bands. First up it was Offbeat, a band that is new to me, so therefore new to these pages. I believe they are quite a new band and, oh boy do they pack a hefty punch. They have some great punk-style licks and they know how to write a classy pop-rock tune too. They have a song about Grimsby too, how many other artists have done that? To my knowledge, there is Elton John with the song “Grimsby” from his 1974 album ‘Caribou’ and the Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu (a.k.a. the JAMs and the KLF) mention the town in “It’s Grim Up North” from 1990 and 1991. Offbeat also gave us a colossally good and supremely passionate cover of the Gossip classic “Standing In The Way Of Control”. It looked like the crowd (including some fine formation dancing from the Rosettas (more of them later) absolutely loved them, and so did I.
Next, it was the turn of the Rosettas, a band that I have seen quite a few times. On the evidence of this thunderous set, I think they have got much, much heavier in the depth of their sound with a powerful metal edge to their music. Benji has mastered the art of the guitar god pose and uses it well. Every member of the band played at 110% and was on possibly the best form I have ever seen them on. The mostly acoustic “Kisses On The Mirror” is crying out to be played at a festival and if it is could be one of those hold your lighters (or sadly, phones) in the air. “Haven’t Signed Up For This” and set closer “It Goes Off” were equal parts thunderous and titanic and came close to melting the fervent fans in the crowd.
Finally, it was time for the sumptuously, gorgeous grooves and seismic sonic sensations of This House Is Haunted. This was a band that is on top form. They were tight, talented and, perfect. They know how to do heavy and that metal beast in them is driven into overdrive by Dom’s drumming. Meanwhile, Zak has perfected the classic heavy rock vocal sound in his masterful voice. Zak’s mega riffs are something special. Then there are the deep bass sounds emanating from Jenn’s bass amp which is the classic engine that drives and powers this fine band. As a rhythm section Jenn and Dom are almost unbeatable among their peers. The new tunes hold up well and I hope we see a This House Is Haunted album one day!
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This was promoted as a bit of a Goth night bringing together four acts that might bring in punters on their way home from Whitby’s Goth Festival that weekend. While we didn’t get one of the headliners of the Goth Weekend such as Christian Death, we got four great bands thanks to promoter Velvet Sheep and the fabulous Fully Arms! First, it was a duo with a brilliant and very goth name, the Hagley Wood Vampires. They gave us acoustic goth folk full of incredible hooks and melodies. Lots of songs about vampires. “Vampires Kiss” would be perfect as a soundtrack tune if ‘The Hunger’ was ever remade. My favourite song was probably “Portrait Of Youth” based on Oscar Wilde’s novel ‘The Picture Of Dorian Gray’. (Incidentally, did you know that the story was considered particularly scandalous when first published in 1890? Largely because it had a theme of homosexual desire. Sadly, even in the 21st Century, some people are still angered and upset by such things!). The band’s choice of covers was truly inspired Bauhaus’ “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” and Eurhythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)”. I believe this duo is also in a band called VampiricA, which I will be checking out very soon!
The second act to take the stage was Hanging Freud. This lot gave us Deep obsidian-hued, brooding, sometimes menacing, industrial cinematic synth tunes. This was all underpinned by a dark heartbeat of rhythm. This was overlayed with some rather spiffing vocals which were ethereal, funereal (at times), and truly epic. If you are in that kind of mood where only those dark tunes will help then listen to Hanging Freud as the perfect accompaniment, I love them! Following that it was the turn of Feather Trade, who while they may not have ticked all the goth boxes are a brilliant band and one of the most original that I have seen recently. If post-punk had begun in the 21st Century Feather Trade would have been its vanguard. There were angular Keith Levene-inspired guitar sounds and bass playing worthy of Jah Wobble in his Public Image Limited days. On top of that, there were grunge elements with an occasional nod to Kurt Cobain vocally and drumming that Dave Grohl would be proud of. I felt elements of both Iggy Pop and Ren vocally, particularly on “Dead Boy”. After that song the main highlights for me were “Just Like Film” and Big Nobody”. But I need to make a special mention of the bass player, she is one of the finest that I have ever witnessed and I have seen many, like Tina Weymouth on speed, bloody awesome!
Finally, it was the turn of Whitby’s own, Westenra. On their website the band describes themselves as having “emerged out of the shadows of Whitby Abbey in autumn 2019, three lost souls each drawn to the dark mysteries and legends of that most magickal place: Luciferia (vocals), Karl (guitars), and Dominique (bass)“. That kind of sums up the Westenra vibe perfectly it was like watching and hearing Siouxse Sioux fronting a classic British heavy rock band from the 1970s. Great songs and a very tight band. “The Last Beat Of Our Hearts” is a beautiful tune with some incredible lyrics. Luciferia was briefly overcome with emotion while singing it, but bass player Dominique stepped in to comfort her and the show went on. The Westenra cover of Iron Maiden’s “Number Of The Beast” was a brilliant take on a British metal classic. Finally, all those years ago no one expected the Spanish Inquisition, right? Well at least according to Monty Python, anyway I digress. With a similar logic to that regarding the Spanish Inquisition, no one would expect a Cliff Richard song at a goth gig, would they? But we got one, the band covered Cliff’s UK and US top ten hit from 1976, “Devil Woman”. But this was never going to be a bland facsimile cover, Westenra took the song, dissected it, rearranged all its internal organs, and turned it into a very heavy, very dark tune and they really owned it! I must confess that before tonight I had not heard of Westenra, but now I am most definitely a fan!
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Another night and another great lineup at the Fulford Arms in York. The first to hit the stage, and they really did hit it hard, was the Apocalypse Disco. This hard electro-dance duo created enough energy to power York for a week. There was barely a let up in their powerful, pulsating sounds and the audience was lapping it all up. This was not just a simple set, but a full performance. Robin and Ian wore matching black boiler suits as they slammed through their take on 90s trance and big beats sounds. The new song “The Bridge” even gave a nod to Erasure in its sublime hook. If this bunch are not yet on your end-of-the-world playlist they need to be!
Flat Cap Carnival was next and who knew York could do Latin music so well? Actually, I did, as I have seen them before. This abundantly talented 7-piece is an incredible party band that it is impossible not to shake your arse to. But it is not just latin, there are parts of Cuban style, skanking, and ska-punk to name just a few. Their original songs are perfect, but their covers take them to another universe completely. “Careless Whisper” and “Spice Up Your Life” were masterclasses on how to cover a song. On social media, they describe themselves as “a Latin-infused Skanival band from York. Dancing is compulsory.” That seems a fair description to me. If Carlsberg made party bands they would definitely make Flatcap Carnival.
The headliners tonight are a band that I had never seen before, Bethlehem Casuals. They are like Polyphonic Spree or Animal Collective after a huge injection of raw, unpasteurised jazz funk juice. Probably the perfect band to follow the mighty Flatcap Carnival. The Bethlehem Casuals takes me right back to my jazz funk period, but probably with a touch more jazz than funk, a la Norman Connors’ “The Creator Has A Master Plan”. For a band that is steeped in complex and well-executed jazz tropes and some complicated time signatures, they are incredibly danceable. I have enjoyed listening to their music on line, but the live setting is where they excel.
Many years ago, I saw the Bluetones (at Reading Festival 2000), so I jumped at the chance to see them play an acoustic set at the fabulous Fulford Arms in York. But before we get to them let me tell you about the support acts. First on stage was Pete Lambert, he is a folky storyteller with an exquisite skill for weaving great tales with his lyrics. I really loved “Ghost” and the bluegrass styled “Without The Whiskey” was a fine way to end a delightful but short set. He was followed onto the stage by Lissy Taylor, she is a wonderfully charismatic singer from Manchester. “She’s A Stunner” and “Healer” were outstanding and her cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Back To Black” was a great version of a classic tune. Before I get to the Bluetones I need to have a little rant. Why do so many punters at gigs talk loudly and persistently when an act, particularly a support artist, is on stage? Why don’t they just go to the pub?
This acoustic gig featured 50% of the Bluetones, which was Mark Morriss and Adam Devlin. Morriss announced it as a game of two halves with set 1 featuring no hits and a 2nd set after a cigarette break with all the hits. Although that was not strictly true as part 1 included some loud and enthusiastic crowd singalongs to “Down At The Reservoir”, “Bluetonic” and “Cut Some Rug”. The high point of the first half for me was “Carry Me Home”. But the one that seemed to hit the capacity crowd right in the heart was “A Parting Gesture” from the band’s debut album ‘Expecting To Fly’ from 27 years ago. After a brief nicotine break, Mark and Adam took the stage for the 2nd set. The cover of the Flying Burrito Brothers, “Hot Burrito #1” (a favourite song of Morriss for 30 years) was stylish and sublime. “Into The Red”, a song about the last great recession taken from the band’s last studio album ‘A New Athens’ sadly is still so relevant. But maybe that is helped by the fact that it is a great song. Incidentally, that last album was released in 2010, when will we see the next one lads? Thehighlight of the second half for me was “Keep The Home Fires Burning”. The one song that will probably never be left off a Bluetones setlist is “A Slight Return” and for this show, it was an absolute peak for a peach of a song which was probably the most popular tune of the night. The Fulford Arms roof was close to being lifted by 150 souls singing the magnificent refrain “You don’t have to have the solution. You’ve got to understand the problem. And don’t go hoping for a miracle. All this will fade away. So I’m coming home. I’m coming home” I was singing it in the car all the way home too. “A Slight Return” is the Bluetones song that even people who claim not to remember the Bluetones know. An intimate and perfect acoustic show from half of a great band. There a still a few dates left on this acoustic tour, grab yourself a ticket if you can, it will definitely be a worthwhile purchase!
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This was another gig put together by that wonderful human being Simon Pattinson for Northern Radar at the equally fabulous Fulford Arms. It was all for a great cause too and raised loads of dosh for St. Leonard’s Hospice. It was headlined by the Corsairs, but more of them later. Proceedings were opened by Everything After Midnight, this would be the second time that I have seen them this year. There is a portion of Wolf Alice and a dash of Pale Waves here. There is also a sprinkling of electric folk (think Traffic with a female singer), soft metal (maybe Evanescence), a pinch of British Prog, and obviously a huge amount of Everything After Midnight. Steph’s voice was always good and now she takes it towards greatness. I have previously suggested that Steph has vocals that remind me of Tori Amos and Ellie Roswell, and that remains true. This was a four-band gig and the second to take the stage was Lost Trends, who are clearly no longer lost and I am glad they have been found again. They have not tiptoed their way back, they came with a multi-megaton blast of sound. A long layoff for the Lost Trends boys, mostly driven by Covid, has not dimmed their power and passion one iota. They still have their usual “we can be better than New Order” sound, but now it is overlayed with some magnificent layers of Talking Heads-style NYC electro-funk. The north has produced some great guitarists, notably Mick Ronson and Bill Nelson, I think that we can safely add Pete Knaggs to that gang now!
Third, it was the turn of yet another fine York band, the Rosettas. Frontman Benji had a cold, but he didn’t let that get in the way of a pulsating set from a band that not only knows how to rock but also knows how to party hard. They are clearly all enjoying themselves and that infectious joy is shared by the crowd with some great dancing and singalong opportunities. “I Don’t Like This” is a great song for bringing the crowd together. Their choice of Blur’s “Song 2” as a cover was inspired and went down an absolute storm. A great band and most certainly one to watch for the future. The Corsairs may be a very young band, but this does not get in the way of their stunning ability to produce an absolute belter of a set. They may have started off a little understated but they really grew into this set and eventually knocked it out of the park. Current single “Jackie The Know It All” is a classy slab of prime Arctic Monkeys styling. There are some Kooks and Wombats influences in their songs too. These lads seemed to love their time on stage and undoubtedly converted many people that had not seen them before into fans. I hope that the Corsairs are around for a long while and I hope their first album, when they get to it lives up to the promise of their live set. I 100% believe that it will! As a footnote, I want to mention that someone actually left this gig early because it wasn’t “indie” enough for them. Seriously? What the actual fuck is indie anyway? Click here to take a look at Indie Chart number ones from the 80s. The usual suspects like the Smiths are included, but so is Jason Donovan. I can really feel a What The Fuck Is Indie Anyway article coming soon!
All the pictures, except the gig poster, were taken by Martin Swarbrick
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This was another show from the Northern Radar stalwart Simon Pattinson, he has never let me down with any of the lineups he has created so far. Would this gig be the first letdown? Read on to find out good people. First up was one of York’s finest young bands, City Snakes (look out for an interview with them here very soon). They were a relatively last-minute addition to the bill after the mighty Sun King had to drop out due to illness. and I have seen them in that position before. It never deters them in the slightest and I always feel that they play every gig as if they were headliners and they always look like they are having megatons of fun. This was an incendiary set to kick off the proceedings at the marvellous Fulford Arms. City Snakes get better every time that I see them. The rhythm section could be parachuted into the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and I think it would be hard to spot the change. “Spin Me Round”, “Paranoia” and “Mayfly” are awesome songs but the new single “Black And White” tops those with its fabulous blues-infused garage punk vibe. Get City Snakes in your life now!
Next, it was the turn of Black Skies, a band who have up to now played just a handful of gigs, although for me they sound like they have been playing together for years. They sound a little grungier, heavier, and probably better than Reef. There are also some slivers of the Spin Doctors in there too. They have some staggeringly good songs, notably “Soul” and “Reason”. Their drummer has all of Dave Grohl’s finest tropes and is clearly a key element of Black Skies’ engine room. One particular highlight in a great set was their smoky, heavy, swampy take on Nina Simone’s “Feelin’ Good”. This version problem took back ownership of the song after Matt Bellamy’s somewhat histrionic and over-the-top take on the tune.
I love the name of headliners Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii and until this gig, I had never heard of or seen them before. How can I tell you exactly what they are like? Well, I will attempt to do that by borrowing one of Rod Serling’s opening narrations from the original Twilight Zone TV series. “You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension – a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into the Twilight Zone“. Believe me, that sums up this great band really well. Imagine a laboratory that stores the DNA of thousands of rock stars. A lab assistant, unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, spills the vials containing Jim Morrison, Richard Jobson, Gary Numan, and Ian Curtis. The cleaner then accidentally blends them all in the dustpan and creates the Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii frontman. The band behind him could be a reincarnation of Bowie’s Isolar 2 touring band from 1978 but with Robert Fripp and Tom Verlaine added on guitar. Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii are a truly and wonderfully different band and one that is perfect for this century and this sad, mad world that we live in.
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